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Nov 27, 2009

There are a lot of things in my life that I am thankful for, but the one thing I am most thankful for is my family. They are my life and the reason for my existence. I thank God everyday that they with me: that they are healthy and happy.

While there are a lot of things that I would like to have, they are mostly to provide for them and to give my kids everything that I didn't have and experienced when I was their age. I want to be the best provider, the best mother, the best wife that my family could ever have. And I am always thankful that I can.

This week's Mommy Moments theme is Chore Time. I agree very much with Chris that we must teach our kids responsibility and one way of doing that is by letting do some chores. We don't have a maid and we things on our own so my kids really do their share. Here is my eldest helping to fold dry clothes after the Ondoy flood. Of course, his grandmother always help him when she sees him doing this. But he knows that he must stay until the chore is done before he can leave and play.

My second child, Danniel also helps with watering the plants, sweeping the floor and arranging the dishes. In the picture below taken in our Montalban house, he was folding the cloth we used to wipe the plates.

My youngest child Ishi loves helping me with the laundry. She would always sit by my side and tells me that when she is bigger, she would do it by herself and I can just read! And I find that too sweet of her!

Of course, there are times when you cant make kid do these chores without threats or favors. But most of the time, when I assign them something to do before I go to work when they dont have classes, they cooperate. Then when I get home, I would hear stories of how good they were and that I should let them play with PSP or my laptop. And I am always willing to reward them. So this works well for all of us.

Nov 25, 2009

This is my son Danniel, who turned 7 yesterday. Happy birthday and I love you so much, anak!

I got this story from a forwarded email and I cried while reading this. I hope you learn from this as much as I did. Especially for parents, please tell your kids everyday how much you love them.

4 years ago, an accident took my beloved away and very often I wonder, how does my wife, who is now in the heavenly realm, feel right now? She must be feeling extremely sad for leaving a husband who is incapable to taking care of the house and the kid. 'cos that is the exact feeling that I have, as I feel that I have failed to provide for the physical and emotional needs of my child, and failed to be the dad and mum for my child.

There was one particular day, when I had an emergency at work. Hence, I had to leave home whilst my child was still sleeping. So thinking that there was still rice leftovers, I hastily cooked an egg and left after informing my sleepy child.

With the double roles, I am often exhausted at work as well as when I am home. So after a long day, I came home, totally drained of all energy. So with just a brief hug and kiss for my child, I went straight into the room, skipping dinner. However, when I jumped into my bed with intention of just having a well-deserved sleep, all i heard and felt was broken porcelain and warm liquid! I flipped open my blanket, and there lies the source of the 'problem'... a broken bowl with instant noodles and a mess on the bedsheet and blanket!

Boy, was I mad! I was so furious that I took a clothes hanger, charged straight at my child who was happily playing with his toy, and give him a good spanking! He merely cried but not asking for mercy, except a short explanation:

"Dad, I was hungry and there wasn't anymore leftover rice. But you were not back yet, hence I wanted to cook some instant noodles. But I remembered you reminding me not to touch or use the gas stove without any adults around, hence I turned on the shower and used the hot waterfrom the bathroom to cook the noodles. One is for you and the other is for me. However, I was afraid that the noodles will turn cold, so I hid it under the blanket to keep it warm till you return. But I forgot to remind you 'cos I was playing with my toys...I am sorry Dad..."At that moment, tears were starting to run down my cheeks...but I didn't want my son to see his dad crying so I dashed into the bathroom and cried with the shower head on to mask my cries. After that episode, I went towards my son to give him a tight hug and applied medication on him, while coaxing him to sleep. Then, it was time to clear up the mess on the bed. When everything was done and well past midnight, I passed my son's room, and saw that he was still crying, not from the pain on his little buttock, but from looking at the photograph of his beloved mummy.

A year has passed since the episode, I have tried, in this period, to focus on giving him both the love of his dad and mum, and to attend to most of his needs. And soon, he is turning seven, and will be graduating from kindergarten. Fortunately, the incident did not leave a lasting impression on his childhood memories and he is still happily growing up.

However, not so long ago, I hit my boy again, with much regret. This time, his kindergarten teacher called, informing me of my son's absence from school. I took off early from work and went home, expecting him to explain. But he wasn't to be found, so I went around our house, calling out his name and eventually found him outside a stationery shop, happily playing computer games. I was fuming, brought him home and whack the hell out of him. He did not retaliate, except to say, 'I am sorry, Dad'. But after much probing, I realized that it was a 'Talent Show' organized by his school and the invite is for every student's mummy. And that was the reason for his absence as he has no mummy.....

Few days after the caning, my son came home to tell me, the kindergarten has recently taught him how to read and write. Since then, he has kept to himself and stayed in his room to practice his writing, which I am sure, would make my wife proud, if she was still around. 'cos he makesme proud too!

Time passes by very quickly, and soon another year has passed. It's winter, and its Christmas time. Everywhere the christmas spirit is in every passer-by...Christmas carols and frantic shoppers....but alas, my son got into another trouble. When I was about to knock off from theday's work, the post office called. Due to the peak season, the post master was also on an edgy mood. He called to tell me that my son has attempted to post several letters with no addressee. Although I did make a promise never to hit my son again, I couldn't help but to hit him as I feel that this child of mine is really beyond control. Once again, as before, he apologized, ' I'm sorry, Dad' and no additional reason to explain. I pushed him towards a corner, went to the post office to collect the letters with no addressee and came home, and angrily questioned my son on his prank, during this time of the year.

His answer, amidst his sobbing, was : The letters were for Mummy.

My eyes grew teary, but I tried to control my emotions and continued to ask him: " But why did u post so many letters, at one time?" My son's reply was: " I have been writing to mummy for a long time, but each time I reach out for the post box, it was too high for me, hence I was notable to post the letters. But recently, when I went back to the postbox, I could reach it and I sent it all at once..."

After hearing this, I was lost. Lost at not knowing what to do, what to say.... I told my son, " Son, mummy is in the heavenly kingdom, so in future, if you have anything to tell her, just burn the letter and it will reach mummy. My son, on hearing this, was much pacified and calm, and soon after, he was sleeping soundly. On promising that I will burn the letters on his behalf, I brought the letters outside, but couldnt help opening the letter before they turn to ash.

And one of the letters broke my heart....

Dear Mummy,

I miss you so much! Today, there was a 'Talent Show' in school, and the school invited all mothers for the show. But you are not around, so I did not want to participate as well. I did not tell Dad about it as I was afraid that Dad would start to cry and miss you all over again. Dad went around looking for me, but in order to hide my sadness, I sat in front of the computer and started playing games at one of the shops. Dad was furious, and he couldnt help it but scolded and hit me, but I did not tell him the real reason. Mummy, everyday I see Dad missing you and whenever he think of you, he is so sad and often hide and cry in his room. I think we both miss you very very much. Too much for our own good I think. But Mummy, I am starting to forget your face. Can you please appear in my dreams so that I can see your face and remember you? I heard that if you fall asleep with the photograph of the person whom you miss, you will see the person in your dreams. But mummy, why havent you appear?

After reading the letter, I cant stop sobbing. 'cos I can never replace the irreplaceable gap left behind by my wife....

For the females with children:Don't do so much overtime. If you cannot finish the work, it must be some kind of problems within the company, and it is not your sole problem. Feedback to your boss. Endless overtime may not necessary be the answer to the problem. Take care of your health so that you can treasure and take care of your little precious.

For the married men:Drink less, smoke less, cos nothing can replace your good health, not even business nor clients. Try thinking this way, are you able to work till your clients are totally dependent on you? or your boss is totally dependent on you? In this society, no one is indispensable. Take care of your health, so that you can take care of your little precious and your loved ones.

For those singles out there:Beauty lies in loving yourself first. With confidence and loving yourself, you will see the beauty in other things around you. You will be able to work better and happier. Don't let your health be affected by your work or your boss, so nothing matters more than your well being.

Nov 23, 2009

So how was your weekend? Me, I crossed a lake, climbed a volcano and looked down upon the Lord's marvelous creation in awe. Oh, and I also ate at Leslie's. And this post is all about the bulalo.This is my first time to eat a proper bulalo and I was actually overwhelmed. Can you see the fat swimming in the soup? The picture was taken immediately after the bulalo was served, but the cool Tagaytay weather already worked against it. The soup was very nice and the vegetable was cooked just right. The meat was really tender and had there been 5 of us to finish the bulalo, instead of just 2, then I would have surely love it! And no, I didn't suck the marrow.

This is the sizzling bulalo which was also very good. Same with the bulalo soup above, the meat was very tender. For me, it was better than the ribs that we also had.

So if you are in Tagaytay, drop by at Leslie's for those delicious bulalo. Just be sure to order enough and not too much like we did.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Dirt Devil. All opinions are 100% mine.

My sister always told me to prepare my Christmas shopping list early to maximize on savings. But I am very busy with work and mom stuff that I tend to do my shopping at the last minute. When I discovered online shopping, I knew that this will work wondrously with my procrastination and last minute change of mind. But when I discovered the Dirt Devil Online Shopping Shortcuts, I know I will now get the best out of online shopping. This online shopping guide has a list of websites that give the best deal for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It also has a list of promo codes for websites. It gives tips on how to maximize savings on these promo codes, like getting rebates and even free shipping. The shopping guide also has a list of Deal-A-Day Sites, or those websites that has unbelievably low prices on a special day sale. The best one I like in this online shopping guide is its list of websites for hard-to-find and one-of-a -kind gifts. This is actually my kind of gifts for my loved ones.

There are other tips on the Dirt Devil Online Shopping Guide that you will surely find very useful like the Bargain Jargon, Online Shopping for a Techy Twist for those gadget gifts and Family Favorites for gifts for the whole family. Indeed, this Online Shopping Shortcuts is for real and a must-have for all online shoppers!

Nov 21, 2009

Cebu Pacific is again having a Piso fare and this time, I got really lucky! I was able to book a one-way flight to Kalibo (Boracay) for my family, all 7 of us, and paid only P218! Yes, only P200 for all of us. Can you tell how happy I am?

There are almost 50,000 seats for sale in all of Cebu Pacific's domestic and international flights. The sale period is only today, November 21 and tomoroow, November 22. The travel period is from June 15 to September 30, 2010.

Although I was only able to book a one way flight, I will just wait for the next sale, even if its not the Piso sale. I am sure I will be able to get one and it wont be as expensive as the regular fare. So head over to the website and book now as this is only available through online booking.

Nov 18, 2009

My daughter is not a fan of Disney princesses and quiet truthfully, I am relieved. I really don't think they are good role models for little girls. The picture above, while quite funny is actually true. They do not have much redeeming qualities, other than their kindness and their beauty. While there is nothing wrong with that, I would prefer it if my daughter would grow up to be a woman of substance and not just of form. I want her to grow up knowing her worth as a person, and not just dependent on any man for her happiness.

But there is one Disney female character that I would like her to admire and that is Mulan. She is a woman of strength, unafraid to go against everybody's worth just to save her family and uphold its name.

Nov 17, 2009

I am late in posting my entry for this week''s Mommy Moments but I hope you get to see my entry anyway.

If you ask my kids what sport they want, it would be swimming. We swim for any occasion and I am beginning to wonder if they have gills! But one thing they also enjoy is family bonding time through exercise and here they are posing gamely after a work out. We enjoy these Sundays playing badminton, biking, doing aerobics or just running around the park!

And of course, here is a picture of what we all love best: SWIMMING! So expect lots of swimming pictures from me in this blog!

Nov 15, 2009

I have a friend who has a very poor vision. She loathes wearing glasses because of vanity and pride. She says wearing glasses makes her look older than her real age. So she sometime suffers because of her poor eyesight. She can't appreciate a good movie unless she sits at the front of the cinema. She is sometimes mistaken for being a snob because she seldom returns a friendly wave. So when I found out about this iLASIK Video Contest, I know that I should encourage her to join. I explained to her how Abbot Medical Optics Inc., a global leader in laser vision correction, wants to know how improved vision has improved or will improve the quality of a person's life. I know this contest is for her! She might also get a chance to win $5,000! The contest is really very simple. She just need to submit a video on how her life has changed because of improved vision, tell our friends about it so they can cast their vote, and maybe win any of these awesome prizes: the grand prize of $5,000, first prize of HDTV package worth $2,500, or the second prize Flip Ultra-HD camcorder worth $199.99. These are indeed great prizes! I hope I that my friend will go for her vision improvement and join this contest. This could really change her life for the better!

Nov 11, 2009

His two front teeth were pulled out by the dentist last weekend but he never lost his cheerful smile. This is my Danniel, who is turning 7 years old this month. He is very cute, isn't he? I was also the tooth fairy and I gave him some money for those teeth. Based on the xray, those two front teeth will come out anytime now.

I love this picture. It is my computer's latest wallpaper. It never fails to make me grin whenever I see it. My son was also very brave. He didn't cry when his teeth were pulled out, before, during or after. We gave him a tub of ice cream as a reward though.

When I need to download something from the Internet, I call this friend of mine who is the most tech-savvy person I know. He is very accommodating and gives me what I need all the time. One time we were together, I asked him his secret. He said that torrents search is really not rocket science if you know Queen Torrent. He said that it is very user-friendly with its simple interface and powerful search engine that scours the web for the latest torrent files added regularly to its database. He was actually laughing when he said that he is not doing me any favor at all because Queen Torrent makes the job of downloading of music, games, movies and any other files that I need, a breeze! And to think I call him tech-savvy!

Nov 10, 2009

For me, one of the easiest and fondest reminder of home is the food served in the dining table for the whole family to enjoy. A dish can trigger a memory of laughter and fun over a hot meal. That is why whenever I am away from home, I try to cook some food that are close to my heart. Unfortunately, not all ingredients for a well-loved dish are available in the place where I sometimes visit. Good thing we can now buy Asian food online. I try to buy some grocery online, mostly Asian produce to make those dishes that I crave. I was amazed to learn that E-Food Depot has over 10,000 ethnic food products available for online purchase. They even offer a flat rate US domestic shipping fee of $4.55, or free if you purchase more than $75! You may even get a free item for some purchases. Now, isn't that great value for money? Aside from the convenience of buying Asian food online, one best thing I discovered at EFood Depot is their cooking videos. While I love the diversity of Asian food, I also enjoy trying out new dishes from Europe and the Americas. Since I can now order online the ingredients for these dishes whenever I am feeling adventurous, then I can easily what I call my gourmet adventure. Fun!

In this time and age, most of us have credit cards. They offer convenience and ease in shopping both online and offline. But the ease with which we can shop, and not feel the hard-earned cash leave our wallets is the biggest culprit on how we end up with poorly managed debts. In time these debts balloon, robbing us of our peace of mind and financial freedom. I admit that I am one of those who are having this problem. Of course, I am looking at ways to work on it and am checking out payday loan consolidation. Debt consolidation, as the name implies, means combining all your debts into one and taking out a loan to pay all of it, leaving you with a more manageable payment option. Debt consolidation also allows you to negotiate for lower interest rates, giving you more savings than if you paid each of your debts individually. I am now checking out 3DebtConsolidation.Com and is amazed at the information they have on educating people about getting out of debt. I am particularly curious about the article on "62 Ways to Get Out and Stay Out of Debt" because it does not attempt to sugar coat the painful reality of debts. I wish all of you will check out this site for more information on debt consolidation.

Nov 6, 2009

This week's Mommy Moments theme is Let's Pretend and the only picture that came to mind was this. It was taken during Danniel's Christmas party last year. We had a lot of fun with that mask, taking turns saying moo, moo!

He is in the picture with his classmate Julianna. They were the two cows in the barn where the child Jesus was born. I think Ishi also loved to pretend she was the cow and borrowed that mask from her Kuya, but I can't seem to find the picture! Oh well.

Nov 5, 2009

I just received my first payment from Adgitize! I started Adgtizing last September 17, and is happy to report that I got USD16.56 already. Wow!

I have only paid USD28 for the two months I have been advertising but after being paid, in effect I only paid USD9! Not bad for the increase in page views and the corresponding increase in opportunities! So, why not try Adgitize now?

Nov 3, 2009

This week's Mommy Moments theme is Precious Gift and I though immediately of my three precious angels and how blessed I feel to have them in my life. They are the greatest gift indeed, a product of the love that me and my husband continuously share. But they are very sweet kids and have given lots of precious gifts themselves through out the year.

The above drawing was made by Drexelle during his first communion exercise and I was really moved by his sweetness. Although he is now 11, he still makes some doodles for me. I know that in a few years time, he will be making love notes to his crushes, but it warms my heart that I was the first one to get love notes from him.

The picture below is just one of the notes I get from my kids from time to time.

Nov 1, 2009

Why am I the last to know that November 27 and 28, earlier proclaimed as National Holidays to celebrate the feast of Eid'l Adha, are now amended as Regional Holidays. It means it will only be a holiday (or no work) for those in the ARMM.

This is so frustrating! We were planning a celebration for my son's 7th birthday on that weekend. I guess we have to make new plans after all!

For those of you who are interested to read the new proclamation, here it is.